The Met Police have informed that they are currently undergoing an investigation surrounding 40 newly raised accusations, which consist of rape and sexual assault allegations, in connection to Mohamed Al Fayed and several others following the airing of a documentary by the BBC about his conduct. Forty individuals have emerged with their claims since the broadcasting of the BBC feature where five women stated their assault by the deceased billionaire. These complainants’ legal representatives have argued that he was aided by his employees.
Commander Stephen Clayman from the Met Police explained that in the wake of the documentary’s airing combined with their latest appeal, the detectives were given abundant information, predominantly connected to Mohamed Al Fayed’s actions, but including some tied to the actions of others. This influx of information led them to document 40 new accusations linked to 40 survivor-victims and encompassing offences ranging from sexual assault to rape over the duration of 1979 to 2013. These are supplementary to the allegations they had known about before the airing of the documentary.
These are also over and above the allegations tied to 21 women that were reported to the force between 2005 and 2023. Out of these, four were accusations of rape, 16 were allegations of sexual assault, and one was connected to purported trafficking, as per the detectives.
Apart from the police actions, there are lawyers who have expressed their intention to file a claim against Harrods in relation to the accusations against its erstwhile owner, declaring that their representation has grown to include 116 clients – up from the initial 79 since they made their intentions known.
Lawyers Dean Armstrong KC, Bruce Drummond, Maria Mulla, Gloria Allred along with investigative journalist Keaton Stone jointly stated that these women were “global survivors who had reached out to their team for assistance. They have handled more than 200 further inquiries, with the count increasing each day.” They supplemented that “The bulk of these claims are associated with Harrods, others are tied to various segments of the Al Fayed empire.”
Scotland Yard indicated that it had approached the Crown Prosecution Service five times between 2005 and 2023, however, no further action was undertaken.
Al Fayed passed away the previous year at the age of 94. The Met Police announced it would “persevere in determining whether any other individuals could be pursued for any criminal offences.”
Clayman articulated: “I acknowledge the bravery required for individuals to approach us with their experiences and I wish to provide reassurance for those who have yet to come forward, we have detectives specifically trained to provide empathy and support.
“Each of these accounts will need to be officially recorded and evaluated to ascertain if there are criminal charges that can be investigated. This process requires time, however, we pledge to keep those who approach us informed regarding the developments.
“We persistently engage with solicitors who represent clients that have approached them directly, to ensure they understand our call for victims to report to the police in order to correctly document any crimes and provide the necessary assistance.
“Even though, most of the information received relates to Al Fayed’s tenure at Harrods, we are getting in touch with representatives from other entities connected to Al Fayed to ensure all affected parties are identified and given the chance to converse with us.” – Guardian.